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In the fall of 2021, Lourdes Camarillo had, perhaps, the most unconventional photography session of her career.

Instead of photographing new babies and growing families, Camarillo found herself in the Broomfield home of a family of refugees resettling from Afghanistan.

It was a new challenge, but one her background had prepared her for.

鈥淣o two people are the same,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 essential for me as a photographer to pay close attention to all the details and connections between the families I鈥檓 photographing.鈥�

Seeking meaningful connection is at the heart of Camarillo鈥檚 endeavors鈥攁s the author of a children鈥檚 book, the owner of a business and four years in the U.S. Marine Corps. As a journalism student, courses have honed her photography skills and expanded her focus, which has grown to include moments like the Siddiqi family relocating to Colorado, a rally for Ukrainians and a Marine Corps Memorial Foundation event in Denver.

鈥淲hen I鈥檓 photographing families or photographing anything, it鈥檚 like everything around me is gone, and all I have are the people in front of me,鈥� she said.

As a photographer, Camarillo believes the best way to understand people鈥攁nd take their pictures鈥攊s to let them express themselves in a space without judgment. As a photojournalist, she believes it鈥檚 the industry鈥檚 duty to share information accurately鈥攂ut also compassionately.

鈥淚n the military, you鈥檙e doing something for more than just yourself,鈥� she said. 鈥淚n a way, journalism is the same. I鈥檓 not covering stories because they鈥檙e about me, I鈥檓 covering stories because that鈥檚 what the public needs to know about.鈥�

Camarillo found herself drawn to service through journalism after being frustrated by misinformation during the pandemic. A family move to Colorado made it possible to study journalism at CU Boulder and, since enrolling, she has challenged herself to experiment with different styles, such as political journalism.

She also challenged herself in an entirely new medium when, in 2021, she published What I Adore, a children鈥檚 book in which her daughter and son take her camera and photograph what they love most throughout the day. It ends with Camarillo鈥檚 daughter taking a picture of the family.

鈥淔amily is very important to me,鈥� she said. 鈥淟ife is short and we should live it passionately and do our best to fulfill our lives in any way that we can.鈥�

Now in her third year in CMCI, she looks forward to further developing her storytelling skills, and is looking into internships to do just that. She sees photography as 鈥渁n art of people鈥� and a tool to help the public develop a sense of connection and empathy for others, like the Siddiqi family.

鈥淚 think there鈥檚 so much more we need to do for refugees instead of using them for political gain,鈥� Camarillo said. 鈥淭hat passion for learning more about people鈥檚 stories and the feeling I get from those moments is when I know I鈥檓 on the right path.鈥�